Colts and Jaguars, both 8-4, meet with the AFC South lead at stake

Indianapolis (8-4) at Jacksonville (8-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL odds: Colts by 1 1/2.

Against the spread: Colts 6-4-2, Jaguars 7-5.

Series record: Colts lead 28-20.

Last meeting: Colts beat the Jaguars 26-23 in OT on Jan. 5, 2025, in Indianapolis.

Last week: Colts lost to the Texans 20-16; Jaguars beat the Titans 25-3.

Colts offense: overall (4), rush (6), pass (6), scoring (1).

Colts defense: overall (21), rush (7), pass (27), scoring (T9).

Jaguars offense: overall (19), rush (11), pass (21), scoring (11).

Jaguars defense: overall (11), rush (1), pass (23), scoring (12).

Turnover differential: Colts plus-5; Jaguars plus-6.

Colts player to watch

New PK Blake Grupe. The Colts waived Michael Badgley after he missed his third extra point in seven games, a miscue that forced Indy to try and score a go-ahead touchdown on their final drive last week instead of kicking a potential tying field goal. Grupe made all 15 of his extra-point attempts this season with New Orleans but was just 18 of 26 on field goals. A fresh start could help.

Jaguars player to watch

WR Jakobi Meyers has 18 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns — and no drops — in four games with Jacksonville. Meyers has been a welcome addition for QB Trevor Lawrence and will continue to be Lawrence’s top option down the stretch.

Key matchup

Colts offensive line versus Jaguars defensive line. Indy QB Daniel Jones has been under heavy pressure in the team’s past three losses, and playing through an injured lower left leg hasn’t helped. The Jags have only 24 sacks through 12 games, but they are capable of stopping the run, forcing the Colts into obvious passing situations and dialing up pressure.

Key injuries

Colts: Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner (neck) will miss his fourth consecutive game, and two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner will miss “some time” after injuring his left calf early in last week’s game. CB Kenny Moore (ankle), DE Tyquan Lewis (ankle) and WR Josh Downs (hip/knee) are dealing with injuries.

Jaguars: WR Parker Washington (hip), DE Travon Walker (knee), LT Walker Little (concussion) and S Andrew Wingard (concussion) are not expected to play. S Eric Murray (neck) is expected to return from short-term IR. DT Arik Armstead practiced in a limited capacity with his left hand padded and wrapped.

Series notes

The Colts snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a 26-23 victory in overtime in Indianapolis last January. But they’ve lost 10 straight road games against Jacksonville, a skid that includes a loss in London in 2016. Their most recent win in Jacksonville came in 2014, which was also the most recent time Indy won the division title.

Stats and stuff

This is just the third December home game in Jacksonville’s 31-year history that features two teams with a .667 winning percentage or better. The others: versus the Seahawks in 2017 and against the Colts in 2005. … No player on either roster was on the field for the Colts’ most recent win in Jacksonville. … Indy has lost two straight for the first time this season and three of four as it slipped into a tie with the Jaguars for the division lead. … The Colts have scored at least 20 points in 11 of 12 games. … Jones needs one more win to match his career high of nine set in 2022, when he led the New York Giants to the playoffs. He also needs 165 yards passing for a single-season career high. … RB Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing even though he’s rushed for 143 yards and been held out of the end zone in the past two weeks. … Tyler Warren needs 43 yards receiving to break Hall of Famer John Mackey’s single-season franchise yardage record for a rookie TE. Mackey had 726 yards in 1963. … The Colts defense ranks fifth in the NFL with 35 sacks, is tied for fourth with 12 interceptions and leads the league with five red zone takeaways. … Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence needs four TD passes to tie David Garrard for third most in franchise history. Garrard has 89. He needs one rushing TD to break a tie for the fifth most in team history. He has 19. … WR Brian Thomas looks for his third consecutive game against the Colts with at least five receptions and at least 100 yards. … LB Foye Oluokun needs four tackles for his sixth season with 100 or more. … DE Josh Hines-Allen has at least one sack in four of his past five games.

Fantasy tip

Warren is a must start against the Jaguars, who have allowed No. 1 TEs to catch a combined 34 passes for 349 yards and four TDs over their past five games.

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